As with all things, the history of an event does not begin at its conception. With this in mind, it is my intention to provide the reader with a general history of events that led to the formation of the Nicolet National Forest of northern Wisconsin. In order to do so, I found it necessary to begin with the early explorations of such notables as James Cartier, Samuel de Champlain, and Jean Nicolet. These French explorers blazed a path that enabled the settling of the territories now know as Wisconsin. Men like them embodied the new era of exploration that was gripping the European nations with the quest for empire, trade, and the advancement of Christianity, leading the way. In addition, attention shall be paid to the indigenous populations and the European relations with them. Primarily, these issues will be addressed while explaining the effects of the fur trade upon the region, both harmful and beneficent. Indeed, no history of this region should fail to mention the fur trade for it was the driving force behind early European settlement. The next area to chronicle is the move away from the fur trade, due to the depletion of resources, into the lumber industry (which begins around the close of the Civil War). The lumber industry of Wisconsin has a long and detailed history. In fact, the history is far too long for one to cover in a term paper, let alone a book. With this in mind, I will pay attention to the general practices of the logging industry. The reason for this focus is the fact that the results of the logging industry bear particular importance to the formation of the Nicolet National Forest. Specifically, I plan to go into a more detailed account of forest depletion and the tragedies that resulted from it. Finally, I shall move into the conservation movement. With the failure of agriculture to take a firm hold, the conservation movement led the government to purchase large tracts of land in an ...
